PROTECTING AND RESTORING NATURE

Protecting wildlife and restoring what was lost in the Australian bushfires of 2019-20.

Protecting and restoring nature after the fires

The devastation to our natural environment caused by the Australian bushfires of 2019-20 has been unprecedented. Over 12 million hectares of forest and bushland were burnt, and nearly 3 billion animals impacted by the fires, pushing many of Australia’s already threatened species to the brink of extinction. Many of the wildlife that did survive the fires were left with no food, water or shelter. Now that the fires are out, the recovery work has begun. With the generosity of our supporters in Australia and across the world, WWF-Australia is working together with partners in-the-field to restore what has been lost in the fires and protect our remaining wildlife. It’s a long road ahead, but together it’s possible. Australia's nature laws are undergoing a once-in-10-year review. We already lost so much in the fires - will you ask your local politician to protect our wildlife and their remaining homes?

WWF-Australia joins a community tree planting event at Cook Reserve Ruse, Campelltown, May 2019
© WWF-Australia / Leonie Sii

What protecting and restoring our environment looks like

  • Assessing the loss: enable the ongoing assessment of the impacts on wildlife and their habitats.
  • Restore wildlife habitat: restore what has been lost and protect remaining wildlife habitat from deforestation through our Towards Two Billion Trees plan.
  • Support Indigenous and rural fire management.
A wild koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) climbing in its natural habitat of gum trees
A wild koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) climbing in its natural habitat of gum trees © Shutterstock / GunnerL / WWF

Towards Two Billion Trees

Our Australian trees and forests are home to unique wildlife found nowhere else in the world. Sadly, every year more than 500,000 hectares of our forests and woodlands are bulldozed across Australia. Paired with the 12 million hectares that were burnt in the 2019-20 bushfires, we can’t stand to lose any more of our trees. Before the fires, WWF-Australia launched an ambitious 10-point plan for the next 10 years, Towards Two Billion Trees, designed to:

  • STOP deforestation;
  • PROTECT our existing trees and forests; and
  • RESTORE native habitat that has been lost.

Together with this plan, we’ll restore what was lost and protect remaining wildlife habitat from deforestation.

Start planting

We couldn’t do any of this work without the generosity of our supporters in Australia and around the world. Join us on this journey. Together it’s possible.

How we work